Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater

Herald is the star of our show. As Sheruff Bones he’s got his role down – he’s a pro and knows just what he needs to do. He’s also pretty laid back to work with, say our staff, and picks up new behaviors quickly – every director’s dream.

Mazie is a lot younger than Herald and much more rambunctious! She’s training to be his understudy, so you won’t see her in shows just yet, although she often walks around the zoo learning how to meet people. She’s also training for the most impressive parts of her role – flying in a balloon and riding in a train.

Everybody loves Siesta, our sloth. She’s in most shows, demonstrating her natural talent for gripping and hanging upside down (useful for an animal that lives in trees). She’s easy-going, say our staff, but like any true diva she can’t be hurried. Mostly, she just likes to hang around…

Orchid our clouded leopard (and sometimes her brother, Banyan) is great at showing off her natural climbing abilities on stage, balancing with her super-long tail. In the wild (and even in our Asian Forest Sanctuary habitat) clouded leopards can be shy and extremely difficult to spot, so the Wild Wonders show is a great chance to see one in action!

Behind the scenes she’s very vocal and likes to greet keepers with a ‘chuff’. She also loves to climb up onto the high, 12-foot platform in her outdoor yard to survey her territory!

Bach might seem like an unusual name for a chicken – until you say it out loud, several times, fast. (Get it?) Bach is a fluffy Cochin bantam, but he’s not the only chicken (or composer) in our show. We also have Beethoven, who does a running solo, and Gershwin, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Chopin, who stampede tutti (that’s “all together” in music-speak) across the stage.

Why the names? Just for fun, although the similarity between Beethoven’s frizzy feathers and the real composer’s hair might have been an inspiration.

Twiggy is another rock star in our show. A red-legged seriema, she’s fantastic at slamming her rubber lizard or frog repeatedly onto the stage, just as a seriema would kill prey in the wild. (They can also run up to 43 miles per hour!)

Backstage she’s curious, and with her long thin legs and striking good looks it’s easy to see how she got her name.

Thurston is not like any other skunk – instead of flipping his tail up to warn predators that an atrocious smell is about to come their way, he’s been trained by Wild Wonders staff to do the tail-raise as a play behavior, rewarded by treats. (His favorite treat is a dead cockroach – yum.)

While he’s waiting for his turn on stage, Thurston likes to rest up and nap in the sun.

Scooter, a Southern three-banded armadillo, is a super-senior, born in 2002 -although you’d never guess his age from his energy levels. In the wild, armadillos sniff out termites, beetle larvae or ants, but when cruising on stage Scooter’s actually following his favorite scent of all – coconut extract.

Clark the king vulture is a pro at swooping down over audiences at the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater. Occasionally, though, he’s just a bit too fond of the limelight, and doesn’t want to leave after his part is over. Then his trainers have to get creative, enticing him to make his grand exit with delicious treats, such as chicken, mouse, or ground meat.

Gonzo is just one of our Southern tamanduas – his new friend Terra arrived recently at the Zoo. Like all tamanduas Gonzo has the longest tongue in show-biz – a whopping 16 inches long – and he uses it to great effect on stage alongside an audience volunteer. In the wild, this species of anteater uses that long tongue to probe and scoop out termites to eat.

Tilli the aardvark is another hugely popular member of our show. As senior keeper Maureen O’Keefe puts it, “Aardvarks are one of those animals people always hear about but don’t often see.” Maybe that’s because they’re native to Africa, where their name means “earth pig.”

Like other aardvarks, Tilli has an incredibly long tongue – 12 inches – which she’d use in the wild to scoop up termites and ants. But in the Wild Wonders show she has another favorite food: vanilla yogurt. And like many actors, she’s very particular about the right brand and flavor.

You can also sometimes see Tilli walking around the Zoo with a keeper, meeting visitors.

Tahoma is the queen of the show. She doesn’t need to do much except look beautiful – and she’s great at that. But as a bald eagle, Tahoma’s more than just a pretty face. She’s also an icon: a symbol of a species once near-extinction that humans helped to save.

Rescued when she’d badly damaged her wing on a power line, Tahoma can’t fly enough to survive in the wild. Instead, she’s cared for lovingly by our keepers, and is a constant reminder to all of us that we have the power to save species.